Saturday, March 11, 2017

Before and After - 3/11/2017

Although i continue to make progress on clean up (mulching! cutting back grasses! trying to weed! buying new plants! (wait...)), this before and after is more about plant growth, and how much further the garden has come than i sometimes realize in the last ~4 years. Because its nice to reflect on how at least some of my plants are happy, instead of wondering why, 2 years after getting rid of the grass, there are grass weeds everywhere? (?!? seriously?)

So here are some before and afters, with a kind "note to self" to actually believe the final size noted on plant labels!

First up, this is in the front garden - Furcraea foetida, sold as "agave sp":

March 2013

March 2017

I still want to find the variegated version, but i love the leaves on this one. And it definitely makes a statement! Smooth edges, but wicked spikes at the leaf tips. It's gorgeous.

Next, my first Agave ovatifolia:

July 2013

March 2017

A slightly different angle, but i don't think i can get a top down view anymore... this one has really grown into it's own. I removed the brick edging around it a few years ago - that was mostly so that i could plant the baby plant in slightly better soil.

Next, one i've shown before, but still one of the most dramatic: Agave "Mr. Ripple":

June 2013

February 2017

Boom! So pretty, and giant. Good thing i like it so much, because it's never getting out of that tube...

This bed has a couple of different agaves: 'Blue Glow" and "Little Shark" aka "Royal Spine":

May 2013

Feb 2017

Different angles but the same bed. That's "Blue Glow" in the right (before) / front (after), look at how much bigger it's gotten! The other two are "Little Shark", both of which have made a pup.

Next up, more spike goodness, in the form of Agave parryi and its yucca friends:

March 2013

Feb 2017

You can't even see the yucca 'Color Guard' (i think) in the before picture, but i swear it's there! Even more impressive is that all those plants are still alive - the yucca pallida moved from the top left (before) to the bottom right (after - you can just see the leaves), but everyone else stayed where they were. The a. parryi has made about a million pups.

Last is this entire bed, with a white buddleja davidii in the center:

March 2013

March 2017

This is one of the beds i worked on the last few weekends, adding new mulch and cleaning up the plants. I started turning the bush into a tree last year, which worked pretty well. Instead of brussel sprouts (before), there are now another agave ovatifolia, a Mr. Lincoln rose (2nd year), and various succulents. I was very surprised that three Aeonium 'Mardi Gras' actually made it through winter (in the blue pot) so i'm tempting fate by planting several more in the ground. There are also 2 ornamental grasses in the bed in the after, which should grow back quickly.

Looking back has been fun! At least it gives me hope that regardless of the current amount of weeds, i'm at least doing something right.

It's always fun and a learning experience to look at before and after photos. I have eight years of changes to look at. It's amazing how quickly some things grow when they're in the right spot and thriving.